The wreckage of a plane crash was located in the Banning Pass by Star 9 on Saturday, Feb 9. The wreckage was believed to be that of a Cessna 340A that disappeared a week earlier.

Given the location of the crash site, in a steep ravine, RMRU was asked to provide assistance to personnel from the FAA, NTSB, the County Forensics Dept, and the County Coroner’s Office on Sunday, February 10.

Steep slopes, loose soil, pockets of dense brush, the magnitude of the debris field (estimated to be a minimum of 300 yards wide by 200 yards long as of Sunday), hazardous materials, and sharp metal, made for an arduous day. On several occasions, RMRU set up rope to assist investigators scrambling up and down the slope.

The FAA and NTSB will continue collecting evidence from the site this week in an effort to determine the cause of the crash.

RMRU members responding included Kevin Walker, Jim Manues, and Grace Manues.
As always, many thanks to the Sheriff’s Aviation Unit for their assistance.